Apple Seitan Sausages with Balsamic Sauerkraut

The more I've been cooking the more I've wanted to move away from pre-packaged foods.  Sometimes you come home from work and you just want something quick and easy to pop in the microwave, but when I have the time I feel so much better making dinner from scratch with whole food ingredients.  This recipe is a great example of that desire to branch out from the package.  I've been working on a sausage recipe to replace our old standby soy Italian Sausages from Trader Joe's and I think this is it!  The sausages are smoky, spicy, and sweet and topping them with this sweet and sour balsamic sauerkraut is the perfect pairing.  A little bit of apple goes a long way in both the sausage and the kraut and really brings it all together.  I was anxious about how they'd turn out, but David said he liked them better than the store bought sausages, so mission accomplished!

Ingredients

Makes 4 Sausages

• 1 c vital wheat gluten
• 1/4 c chickpea flour
• 1/4 c nutritional yeast
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp coconut sugar
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 T maple syrup
• 1 T soy sauce
• 1 tsp liquid smoke
• 2/3 c water or veggie broth
• 1 sweet red apple, divided 
• 1/4 c shredded for the sausages, remainder of apple diced for sauerkraut

• 1/2 head red cabbage, sliced thinly
• 2 T coconut oil
• 2 T coconut sugar
• 1/3 c balsamic vinegar
• 4 whole wheat buns
• Vegenaise

1. Mix all dry sausage ingredients together thoroughly in a mixing bowl.
2. Combine the oil, syrup, soy sauce, liquid smoke, and water/broth in a small bowl and set a side.
3. Wash and remove the stem of your apple and shred it until you have 1/4 cup shredded apple.  Dice the remainder of the apple and set aside for the sauerkraut.
4. Add the apple and wet ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix until a spongey moist dough has formed and all ingredients have been incorporated.
5. Use your hands to knead and mix the dough for about another 3 minutes to makes sure the ingredients are mixed and the texture toughens up slighltly.
6. Tear off four 1ft x 1ft squares of aluminum foil
7. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and roll and shape each piece into sausages about 6 inches long.
8. Roll up the sausages in the foil pieces and twist on the sides (see photo) like a tootsie roll.
9. Set up a steamer on the stove top and steam the sausages for 30 minutes.  When done remove from the steamer and allow to cool for about 5 minutes before handling them.
10. While the sausages steam, heat the coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat.  Add the cabbage and wilt it for about 5 minutes.
11. Add the coconut sugar and apple and mix through the cabbage before adding the balsamic vinegar.
12. Cover and reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 30 minutes, stirring frequently.
13. When the sausage and sauerkraut are ready, smear each side of each bun with some vegenaise, place the sausage in the bun, and top liberally with the cabbage.  (Optional: Grill the sausages for about 5 minutes on a grill pan over medium heat before serving.)